Firsts
by Jenny7
Summary: There is a first time for everything. A series of firsts in the lives of Lawrence and Adam.  Adam/Lawrence
1. Chapter 1: First Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Saw or the lovely boys he chains together in bathrooms.

Author Note: Big hello to all of my fellow chainshippers! So my intention with this story is to make it a series of one-shots summarizing all of the 'firsts' in Lawrence and Adam's adorable life together. Just a bunch of fluff to get me through this horribly stressful time at work. Please review and let me know what you think.

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First Realizations…

The first time Lawrence knew that Adam was more than just a friend was a normal night for the two Jigsaw survivors. They were at Lawrence's apartment and Adam had switched on some horror movie about a murderous clown. They watched a lot of horror movies, at Adams request, and Lawrence never minded as long as none of them involved bathrooms, chains, or sawed off limbs. Besides, he found it kind of cute that Adam would get so into the movie that he would actually startle at the scary parts, sometimes making the entire couch move with his jolts of surprise. Lawrence could always tell when it was coming, too, by the way that Adam would fidget more than usual and how his eyes would shift everywhere around the room except for the actual screen. He would play with his hair or sometimes pick at his food if they were eating dinner. Lawrence had made a new rule that they weren't allowed to eat during these movies anymore since Adam had nearly choked on his fried rice once. It was a good thing Lawrence knew the Heimlich maneuver. He was forever grateful for the MD behind his name when Adam was around.

This particular night Adam was wrapped in a sweatshirt that was too big and was huddled, rather tensely, on one end of the couch. He was playing with the drawstrings that hung from the hood of his sweatshirt and staring intently at the screen. Lawrence routinely looked from Adam, back to the movie, and back to Adam again. It was more fun for him to watch Adam's reactions than to watch the clown hack up some dumb deliveryman anyway. He felt a small smile grow on his face as he looked at his friend – his best friend really. Ever since the divorce, Lawrence had felt happier than ever. With Allie he had always felt alone. She was right when she accused him of being so unhappy because he truly was. Diana was his only salvation and she was still one of the people in his life who truly made him grateful that he had survived the bathroom.

The other person was sitting across the couch from him and was just moments away from hiding himself in his sweatshirt so that he wouldn't have to watch the clown jump out of the kitchen cabinet and stab the clueless blonde babysitter. The other most important person in his life was a twenty nine year old man, boy really, who was awkward, clumsy, cursed way too often, and smoked a pack a day. He couldn't sleep without a nightlight and no matter how much he tried his hair always looked tangled with that one piece that stood straight on end.

Adam was also the most talented photographer Lawrence had ever known even though he would never admit to it. He was sweet – something Lawrence never would have guessed from their experience in the bathroom. Once he'd even volunteered to pick Diana up from school when Lawrence got called away for an emergency. He had no idea what had happened on that fifteen minute trip home but Diana had loved Adam ever since. And nobody, nobody, could make Lawrence laugh the way Adam did. He always chose the moments when Lawrence was the most stressed out from the hospital to perform his antics and Lawrence would laugh so hard that he would forget all of the bad.

Adam startled when the clown jumped out of a closet and started chasing the teenage boy around the room. Lawrence didn't even try to contain his laughter as Adam gathered himself and pretended that it was just some stupid movie and that he would never be afraid of such a thing.

Adam was a tough guy, through and through. When it came down to it, he could fight with the best of them. He had saved Lawrence's life in the bathroom because of this strength that he carried deep inside. It was there, but it only came out when it needed to. The rest of the time, Adam was just a frightened boy who needed to feel safe just like anybody else.

_And I'm the one who will make him feel safe. I want to take care of him, because I love him. _

It was a sudden realization that hit Lawrence like a punch in the face. The man on the other end of the couch was the love of his life. The small, dark haired, chain smoking, smart ass, kid who was now chewing on the string of his sweatshirt was the person he wanted to spend every minute of his day with, forever.

He was in love with Adam Faulkner.

He sat with this realization for a moment. It must have been a moment too long, though, because soon the smaller man was looking back at him with a look of utter amusement on his face.

"Earth to Lawrence, you still with me man? I know this movie is total crap but that doesn't mean you get to check out on me."

Lawrence shook himself and smiled back at Adam.

"Yea, I'm here." He paused and looked down, mustering the strength he needed. "This is going to sound insane, but I think I might be in love with you."

He looked back up and waited. The fear was mounting inside of his chest. There was a chance that Adam would get up and walk out of his life forever. There was a huge chance of that. Adam wasn't gay, not that Lawrence knew of anyway. He might not feel the same way and Lawrence could have just ruined everything they had in one spontaneous sentence. He cringed inside and felt his heart break at the thought.

But Adam didn't walk out. Instead, he just looked at Lawrence and laughed nervously.

"It's about time, man." He paused and his eyes darted around apprehensively. There was a new emotion in them when he looked back up – one similar to what Lawrence's eyes were showing. "I mean…I love you too, like way more than that feminist vegan punk chick. I was just waiting for you to come to your senses, you know?."

He ducked his head and ran his hand through his tangled hair in the way he always did when he was nervous.

Lawrence smiled and, cautiously, moved himself over on the couch until he was within inches of the other most important person in his life. They were so close now and Lawrence felt his pulse quicken in the way it always did when Adam was close by. The darker eyes were confident but Lawrence sensed the awkwardness behind them – the awkwardness that was just one thing he loved about Adam.

"So, I love you." He paused and brushed a strand of hair from Adam's forehead. It was only when the younger man leaned into his touch that he knew for sure. "And you love me. Now what?"

Adam shrugged at the question and gave Lawrence the coy smile that always roped him in. His eyes turned big and wide and Lawrence knew, then, that nothing had been ruined by their revelations. Their connection had only been strengthened. It was the very same connection when they first saw each other after escaping from the bathroom. It was what had brought them together as friends afterward and it would only grow in their increasing closeness. It was a connection that was untouchable by even the most maniacal serial killer.

"We could watch another movie…and maybe you don't have to sit so far away this time?"

Lawrence thought that it was the perfect suggestion. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man and when Adam leaned into his chest during the next scary moment he placed a simple kiss atop his head.

It would be the first of many.


	2. Chapter 2: First Christmas

Disclaimer: I do not own Saw or either of these guys. But I manipulate them as I please.

Author Note: Thanks for the reviews everyone! And I just want to wish all of you and your families a very happy and safe holiday season! I had to let these guys celebrate it too, in their own chainshipping kind of way. This is my interpretation of Lawrence and Adam's first Christmas together.

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First Christmas….

Adam had never been a Christmas person. He remembered, very well, the Christmas when he was five years old and his mom's newest prospect had come towering through the front door with a beer in one hand and the top of a huge evergreen in the other. He'd gotten it in the most illegal way, of course, and leaned the thing clumsily in the corner of their living room. Adam's mom had been ecstatic and went so far as to pretend that they were a family for an entire two days before she took a few slaps from the guy and Adam had sunken his new baby teeth into the mans ankle to stop him.

Christmas that year had involved a police station and a couple of decent cops who gave him hot cocoa and a Twinkie for Christmas dinner while his mom filed the petition for the restraining order.

That being said, when Lawrence had brought down the box of Christmas decorations from the attic Adam was less than excited. It wasn't that he didn't want to celebrate the holiday with his new boyfriend. The problem was that he wasn't exactly sure how to do it.

"So is this what normal people do on Christmas?" Adam pulled the string of tangled lights from the box in a big mess. He sat cross-legged in the middle of the living room floor and looked up at Lawrence – who was currently putting together the artificial tree. Lawrence laughed and looked down at the younger man with the warmth that always made Adam's heart beat faster.

"I guess. It's what I grew up doing. But that doesn't make it any more normal than what anyone else does." He took a step back and looked at the completed tree. It stood slightly crooked and he cocked his head to examine the defect. Adam watched him with wide admiring eyes and chastised himself when he realized what he was doing. He mentally berated himself for acting like such a girl.

"Definitely gotta be more normal than having Christmas dinner with the cops…" Adam muttered under his breath and Lawrence's laugh made him smile despite the fact that there was a seriousness behind his sarcasm.

Adam continued to untangle the knots in the lights – quietly thankful for the distraction. There had been some Christmas's that weren't so bad. There was the year when he was ten and his mom had, for once, decided to spend the holiday with only him. She had made him those sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles on top and he couldn't remember cookies ever tasting so wonderful. She'd even given him a gift that year – his first camera. It was a cheap black 35mm film camera with a red strap on the side. It was his prized possession.

"Adam?" Lawrence's voice crept into his vision and he focused his eyes to see the man he loved staring right at him. He was crouched in front of him with a mixture of concern and amusement on his face.

"Uh, you know you'd better be compensating me for all this work I'm doing here." He held the bundle of tangled lights in the air and raised his eyebrows. "Seriously, man? They make prisoners do this kind of stuff as punishment for shiving their cellmate."

"Shiving?" Lawrence planted himself on the floor in front of Adam and smiled in that amused way he always did when Adam was around. "That a verb now?" Adam shook his head as Lawrence picked up one half of the mess and began to untangle from the other side.

"Since when are you the smart ass in this relationship?" He said with a smirk. He'd never realized what a fun guy Lawrence could be. Though, most people when chained to pipes aren't exactly the life of the party so he figured his and Lawrence's first impressions shouldn't really be counted anyway.

"What can I say? You're rubbing off on me." Adam looked up and met Lawrence's light blue eyes with his own darker ones. Their connection was as strong as it had been the day they were rescued from the bathroom. Even in their worst moments it never waivered. Adam was the first to break eye contact and he looked back down at the lights in his hands. "So, what would you like to do this Christmas? Any traditions that you usually follow?"

It was the question he always hated. Tradition. What was tradition, really? In his family tradition might be counted as the semi-annual bailing mom out of jail party or Uncle Pete's parole hearing. This entire conversation was foreign to him and he searched, nervously, for an appropriate reply.

"Uh….lets see. Well there's the drug dealing – festive because mom always wears her santa hat. Then of course the annual sale at the liquor store where we buy booze with the money we got panhandling. I give the best sad puppy eyes so I always get the most cash." He waited, expecting Lawrence to laugh. There was no sound though. He looked up to see the other man looking at him with a curious expression. Great, now he was going to get all serious again.

The moments in-between seemed to last years and Adam became more and more anxious as he fidgeted with a broken light. He always knew that he and Lawrence were very different as far as their childhoods were concerned. He figured that, at some point, Lawrence would see him for the screw up that he actually was and then things might actually change. Though, there was that small hope that kept Adam still thinking that Lawrence might actually love him anyway. Hope- that was a trait of Lawrence's that had rubbed off on him.

The next sound wasn't of Lawrence being upset with him, though. It wasn't even a word at all. It came from Lawrence's throat and it soon developed into something that sounded like humming. Adam looked up and Lawrence was looking down at the lights as he continued to untangle them. The humming continued until it became a song and Adam, to his own surprise, actually recognized it.

"Lawrence, what the hell is that?" He paused as Lawrence looked up at him with a foolish grin and continued the humming. Adam dropped the light he had been holding and gave him the most exasperated expression. "If you are humming Christmas carols I may actually have to punch you."

Lawrence was clearly trying to contain his laughter as he continued to hum the now very familiar tune. Adam now dropped all of the lights and planted his hands over his ears.

"I mean it, Lawrence. I have a killer left hook."

Now Lawrence had dropped his lights too and the sounds turned from humming to full out singing complete with whatever dancing could be done from a sitting position on the floor.

That was the final straw that turned Adam Faulkner from a scrooge to a full out tiny Tim.

Adam fell backwards onto the floor with laughter that shook his body so hard that he couldn't see straight. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard. Lawrence continued to sing in the background but it was broken up shortly by his own laughter that joined Adam's. Soon, both men were lying parallel to each other on the floor – tangled lights scattered all around them.

When the laughter had finally died down and Adam was still trying to catch his breath, Lawrence leaned on his side and boasted himself up on his elbow. He looked down at Adam and the connection was there again. Adam smiled with relief. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing to remain hopeful sometimes.

"All I want for Christmas is you." Lawrence stated it with a hint of sarcasm and though it was the most cliché line Adam had ever heard he couldn't help but feel the warmth rise throughout his body. Adam pushed himself up onto his elbows until he was inches away from Lawrence. He leaned in and planted a chaste kiss on his lips.

He broke the embrace momentarily and spoke before Lawrence moved in for another. ""You already have that. But there's still time to ask Santa for a flat screen."

Lawrence's laughter was muffled by Adam as he pinned him to the floor. They connected in a passionate kiss that would lead them to another first soon enough.


	3. Chapter 3: First Seduction

Disclaimer: I do not own Saw, Adam, or Lawrence.

Author Note: Thanks for the reviews everyone! So, I know I kind of skipped over the big important first kiss scene. I got a little caught up in the Christmas spirit I guess….you can blame my favorite Christmas movie "Love Actually" for that. So anyway, here is another big important first not to be done without a little bit of angst. OK…maybe a lot of angst. But you get the point. Enjoy!

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First Seduction

Lawrence worked a lot. It was part of being a doctor. He worked different shifts all of the time sometimes getting home before dawn and other times not until rush hour. It had been a problem when he was still with Alison. She would complain that he was never home in time to tuck Diana into bed or to spend time with her in the way that married couples should. With Adam, it wasn't as much of a problem. Adam was a chronic insomniac and usually would not even try to go to sleep until Lawrence came home from work. Lawrence suspected that it was partially because of Jigsaw and the nightmares of being trapped in a dark bathroom alone – waiting to die. Adam never talked about it and Lawrence never forced him to. He figured that one of those times when Adam woke up screaming he would tell Lawrence everything. One of those times when his comforting arms and "I love yous" weren't enough to make his heart stop racing and that raspy voice stop playing over and over in his head.

It wasn't a day he looked forward to, though, because then he would have to be faced with the reality of what happened in that room after he left his best friend alone and bleeding. He knew that it must have been hell and he was thankful every day that Adam had been able to forgive him for crawling away when he needed him more than ever.

That day happened on New Years Eve, of all days. It was a late night for Lawrence and he knew that Adam was particularly disappointed that they couldn't spend their first New Years together. He didn't show it like Alison did, nagging and fighting. Instead, he sulked around the apartment and stayed to himself even before Lawrence had to go to work. It was his longest shift ever, or it seemed like it. He wanted to be with Adam more than anything and, eventually, his sulking around the doctor's lounge was enough to get his colleague to cover the remainder of his shift so that he could rush home before the ball dropped.

When he finally arrived at the apartment, around eleven thirty, Lawrence found Adam in their makeshift dark room that they had made out of their walk in closet. Somehow, space for their shoes wasn't nearly as important as Adam's photography and this was understood from the time Adam moved in.

"Hey Adam, I'm home. I got off early." He tried to contain his excitement to see the young man. Not wanting to disturb the process, he stood outside of the door and spoke into it. He could her Adam shuffling around and the sound of metal things being banged against other metal things. He felt worry settling in until the younger man came out of the room a few minutes later, clad in his usual black T-shirt and pajama pants.

"Hey man." He tried to express excitement but Lawrence could tell that something wasn't right. His eyes, usually bright in a childish way, were dull and sad. His hair was messed like he had woken up from a long sleep and his voice was hoarse.

"You ok?" On reflex, Lawrence reached out to pull his boyfriend into an embrace. He felt a pang in his chest when Adam backed away instead.

"Yea, I'm fine." Adam walked past him and sat down the nearby bed. Lawrence could smell the vinegar wafting off of him. It was Adam's smell and it always pushed his buttons in just the right way. He moved over to the bed and sat down next to Adam. He could see the pain in the younger mans face and it pained him as well. He knew what had happened because this was how he always looked after he had a nightmare.

He must have fallen asleep trying to wait up for him.

Cautiously, Lawrence reached over and brushed a strand of hair from Adam's face. He felt him pull away even more at the gesture.

"Do you want to talk about it?" There was a lump rising in this throat. He hated when Adam was in pain. He hated that it was, most likely, because of him.

Adam shook his head in response and then dropped his face into his hands.

"Why did you leave?" The words were barely audible through his palms but Lawrence could make out the pain in them regardless. He closed his eyes to stop his own tears from producing.

"I'm sorry, Adam. I didn't want to…" Abruptly, Adam stood up and walked to the center of the room.

"I know, I…" He stopped, trying to choose his words. His voice came out angry but it was only to cover up the pain. "I know you had to. I know we both would have died. But I was alone for an entire night, Lawrence, and he was there." He paused to look up at Lawrence. Lawrence saw the brown eyes that he loved – the same ones he'd crawled away from in the bathroom. "And now he's here, all the time. In my head – in there." He pointed towards to the darkroom with one hand still covering his face.

Lawrence looked from Adam to the darkroom, trying to rationalize what he was saying. The very idea that Jigsaw had been in the bathroom with Adam, when he was completely helpless, was almost more than he could handle. He flexed his hands into fists and felt a sudden urge to punch the closest object. He was so angry at Jigsaw for doing this to them. He was so angry with himself for leaving Adam, again and again.

Standing up, Lawrence marched towards the darkroom with a fury that engulfed him and tore the door open. Inside, the red light illuminated everything. It was a mess. Adam had clearly torn through it in anger searching for his demon. Photos lay along the floor, some of them torn to pieces, while others still hung on the clotheslines above. One photo caught Lawrence's attention most of all – it was a photo of a man in a pig mask. He remembered the mask from the parking lot on the day of his abduction. Adam must have seen the same thing when he was abducted. Covering his mouth with his hand, Lawrence took a deep breath and inhaled the familiar vinegar scent.

How had he not seen this? How had he never bothered to ask Adam about any of this? He loved the man more than his own life and yet he hadn't even opened his eyes to the hell that he went through every single night that the nightmares came back.

Turning back towards Adam, he saw the horror written on the young man's face. It was a mixture of embarrassment and fear. Marching towards him, he took his face in his hands and kissed him with more passion than he ever had before. Adam's lips froze for a moment before they responded but Lawrence only pulled him closer. When they finally pulled apart it was only briefly and because Lawrence had something he needed to say.

"I can't say that I'm sorry that I left you that day because, if I hadn't, then you wouldn't have made it and I'm not sure that I could handle that. I am sorry, though, that I couldn't protect you from him. I hope that you know that I'm here for good this time." He paused when a small smile grew on Adam's lips. His own smile followed. "You're stuck with me, buddy, so you'd better get used to it."

Adam's smile grew wider and his eyes filled with the childish joy that Lawrence loved to see. He was so transfixed by them, in fact, that he didn't even notice that Adam was untying his tie. And then, when that was loose enough, he began unbuttoning his shirt. Lawrence felt his heartbeat quicken and caught the younger man's eye.

"Adam, what are you doing?" His shirt was now completely unbuttoned and Adam met his gaze with a daring stare. His eyes were an even darker brown and the way his messy hair fell into them only served to make Lawrence want him more.

He reached out and held his boyfriend's face in his hands, gently directing him to meet his own blue eyes, and felt his own lust increase with just that simple touch. "You sure? I don't want to do this unless you're ready."

Adam put his own hands on Lawrence's face and kissed him. It was a hard kiss but with the soft undertones of love intermixed. The smell of vinegar was all over him and Lawrence couldn't remember ever wanting anybody so much as he did right then. Adam's T-shirt flew across the room and soon his pajama pants, along with Lawrence's tailored Dockers, rested somewhere out in the hallway. Boxer shorts decorated with smiley faces wearing stethoscopes, a Christmas present from Adam, joined the mess in the dark room and knocked over the picture of the man who had brought them together.

When the New Year rolled in, it found Lawrence and Adam wrapped in each other's arms without a stitch of clothing between them. Lawrence was running his hands through a sleeping Adam's hair and Adam was lightly snoring as he burrowed further into Lawrence's chest.

Lawrence took one last glance at the dark room before focusing back on the man sleeping on top of him. He whispered one last thing.

"He won't hurt you again. This time, I'll be there to stop him."


	4. Chapter 4: First Fight

Disclaimer: I do not own these boys or the Saw franchise.

Authors Note: OK…so this one is kind of angsty too. But there is ice cream and body parts involved so I hope that makes up for it! And it is their first big fight…can't do that without a bit of angst. Thanks for all of the reviews so far. I love getting feedback of all kinds. Oh, and happy new year everybody!

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First Fight

Lawrence planned to surprise Adam. He had come home from work early with a grocery bag full of hot dogs, buns, all the necessary condiments, and french fries – the kind that go in the oven. It was Adam's favorite meal and one he rarely had anymore since Lawrence had been trying to make them eat healthier. Working at a hospital full of patients with high cholesterol, massive heart attacks, and high blood pressure does take its toll on the appetite for junk food and Lawrence wanted both of them to be around far past the age of most of his patients who didn't make it.

Truth was, this particular day wasn't anything special. It was just an average day for both men. However, there was the tiny detail that Lawrence needed to spring a surprise on Adam that he was certain he wouldn't like. In fact, it would probably cause him to implode in a way that he hadn't in awhile. It had taken Lawrence some time to consider the idea before bringing it up, as he wasn't even certain it was the best idea. The conclusion he came to, though, was that it had to be done at some point and the earlier the better.

When he heard the front door close he took a deep breath and mustered up everything he had to go through with the plan. He heard Adam dropping his camera equipment in its usual spot in the living room and his heavy footsteps, which always puzzled Lawrence as Adam was so small, echoed throughout the apartment until he appeared in the entrance to their kitchen. He instantly startled and tried to grab the nearest object in self-defense – which happened to be a rolling pin.

"Adam, it's just me." He held his hands up in surrender and waited until Adam caught his breath.

"Christ Lawrence, you scared the shit the out of me, man." He leaned back against the counter top with the rolling pin still in hand. A moment later he donned a sarcastic smile and looked up at Lawrence with his wide brown eyes – effectively making him melt and Lawrence closed his eyes to keep his strength. He dropped his hands and moved closer to the younger man.

"Sorry buddy, I didn't mean to scare you." He paused and looked at the object in Adam's hand again. He found himself laughing lightly as he pointed to it and raised his eyebrows. "What exactly were you planning on doing with that?"

Adam looked down at the clearly forgotten object and laughed with Lawrence. He held it up to display. "You're the doctor here, can't this cause massive head injury or something?" He placed it back down on the counter as Lawrence pulled him into an embrace and kissed him.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Maybe. But, for future reference, a knife would be much more effective. Or, any of the self-defense moves I showed you in case of an emergency. Or, just getting the hell out of the apartment and calling the police like we discussed." He didn't mention the gun he kept in a box on the top shelf in the closet. Adam didn't know about that. Until his nightmares calmed down, Lawrence planned on keeping it a secret. He was more concerned that Adam would hurt himself during one of his post-nightmare trances than of any intruder coming in anyway.

"Yes, sir." Adam mocked him with a false salute and Lawrence gave him a smug look in return.

"At least you recognize the authority." He paused and moved over to the food. He turned on the oven and readied the small grill for the hot dogs. "I got off work early today. Thought I'd make dinner and we could talk." He didn't look at Adam when he said it but he knew the younger man was suspicious already. He heard Adam moving around the kitchen, examining the food contents from the grocery bag.

"Hot dogs? Didn't think they were part of the 'live long and prosper' diet." He was still just as sarcastic as ever and Lawrence couldn't help but smile at the goofy terms he came up with. Adam, just like Diana, had the ability to soften him. He swallowed his smile and continued with the preparation. He needed to be firm.

"We can splurge every now and then." He took a deep breath as he placed the hot dogs on the grill. Adam had found the bag of french fries and had started to arrange them on a baking pan.

"Hey buddy, there's something I need to talk to you about." It came out quicker than he expected. His hope had been to fix dinner and eat first as there would be fewer hot or dangerous items for Adam to throw. Adam looked up from the fries, arranged playfully in the shape of an angry face, and gave Lawrence a small curious smile.

"Great, what'd I do now? Forget to empty the dishwasher again?" Lawrence could tell the sarcasm was just a cover up. Adam hated confrontation as much as he got himself into it. Confrontation, especially with Lawrence, seemed to make him more upset than called for. Granted, they hadn't had a real fight yet. It had been the longest Lawrence had gone without a fight in any of his relationships. He suspected it was because they could read each other so well and knew when to approach and when to stand back.

Everything about this told him to stand back. But he couldn't listen, not this time.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Adam." He smiled warmly at the younger man, hoping to calm him. Adam still appeared on edge and was fidgeting nervously with one of the frozen fries on the pan. "It's about your mom. She's been contacting me at the hospital, trying to get a hold of you. She says she wants to talk to you." He bit his lip and closed his eyes – waiting for the next blow to happen. When nothing happened, he chanced a glance to the side to see Adam now leaning against the countertop – both hands supporting him. He had a look on his face that could either mean he was going to destroy the kitchen or cry. Possibly both.

"I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't even want to bring it up but…well she says that it's important and that you've been ignoring her calls. I just think if you call her maybe you could patch things up and maybe have some kind of normal relationship…"

Adam turned around abruptly and looked at Lawrence. There was anger in his eyes mixed with tears that he wouldn't allow to pass through.

"What right do you have to talk to my mother? I never said…" He started but had to collect his thoughts before he finished. Lawrence quickly removed the now cooked hot dogs from the grill and shut it off, preparing for what would come next. Adam put his hand to his head as if in pain. "God, this is none of your business Lawrence."

"She found me, Adam. She remembered me from the news reports and the things you've been telling her about me and she thought I could get a message to you. She's sick Adam, very sick, and she just wants to talk to you. That's all. And I think you should call her…" He heard the anger rising up in his own voice and felt slightly ashamed of it. He had no right to be angry with Adam, but it really wasn't his fault either. He was just delivering a message and he knew Adam would thank him later.

"Right, that's all? You have no idea the shit that she put me through. You have no clue, man." He paced back and forth with urgency and Lawrence saw the hint of tears falling from his eyes. He quickly wiped them away of course. "The last time I talked to her was months ago and, stupid me, I actually thought that she wanted a relationship. I told her all about you and that I had feelings for you and you know what? She told me what a waste I was and how she didn't raise me to be 'one of those people'. Then she told me I was going to hell and hung up the phone."

Lawrence used the counter to support his weight. The woman he had spoken to hadn't come off that way at all. He remembered the sincerity on her face when she said that she had done wrong by Adam and just wanted to apologize to him. It was right after he'd diagnosed her with terminal ovarian cancer. That diagnosis did not leave much room for hope.

Adam finally stopped pacing and crouched down on the floor. Lawrence could sense his anger seething out all around him and knew that he had made a mistake that he couldn't turn back from. Slowly, he stepped out of the kitchen and towards Adam. All he wanted now was to stop the pain that he was dealing with and make it all better. Soon, he was just within a foot of Adam and attempting to meet him at floor level.

"Don't even bother, man. Just leave me the fuck alone." His voice was cold, so cold. Lawrence couldn't remember ever hearing him so angry.

"Adam….I'm sorry." Adam's now cold brown eyes turned up towards Lawrence. They were glassy with tears.

"I asked you to do one thing for me. When we first got together you wanted to be open and honest and all I asked is that you just leave my family to me, let us be who we are and let me deal with my mother." He gestured with open hands. "You want to fix everything, Lawrence." He looked up at Lawrence with pleading eyes. He felt his heart breaking more every second they were connected. "But I'm broken. My family is broken. I'm never going to be perfect. If you want perfect you should just go back to Alison…"

The last sentence was said through a cracked voice. Lawrence knew it was the hardest thing for Adam to say even though he knew that Alison wasn't even close to what he wanted anymore. Adam was right. He was a broken down train wreck and so was his family. Lawrence's reaction was to fix him, make it all better. But maybe Adam was just Adam and maybe his mother was who she was too. Maybe they would never speak again and maybe that would be for the best.

He ignored Adam's original request and knelt down to the floor. He crawled towards the man he loved more than anything and stopped just inches in front of him.

"I love you, Adam. I choose you." He hesitantly reached out until his hand was close to him, but chickened out and placed it on the floor in-between them instead. Adam's words still haunted him and he didn't want to go too far. "I am so sorry if I made it seem like I wanted to change anything about you or your mom. I guess I just…wanted to help. This is your business and whatever you want to do is up to you. I'll be here for you either way." He paused, his own voice cracking now. "If you still want me…"

It was the longest minute of his life – even longer than the time it took to cut his own foot off. It felt the same, too, like somebody was cutting his heart out of his body. If Adam walked out then it would be like loosing the most important appendage in his life and he would not be able to function without him. This he knew.

The single gesture of Adam sliding his hand across the floor and into Lawrence's was the breathe of air Lawrence needed to live.

Adam's smile was the sunlight hitting his face. His next sarcastic comment brought them back to where they began.

"We even fight like women, we must be gay."

Lawrence laughed and pulled Adam towards him. Before he could kiss him, though, Adam had one more thing to say. "Seriously Lawrence, no more of this fixing crap. Promise me."

Lawrence promised with everything he had.

Then they ate hotdogs and fries with a special request for ice cream that Lawrence was happy to oblige -especially when Adam asked him to lick it off of some of his favorite places. They fell asleep afterwards - their first fight over and with plenty of make up sex to follow into the next morning.


	5. Chapter 5: First Date

Disclaimer: I do not own these guys. I just set them up on dates and make them fall in love and have hot sex. Is that so bad? Also, I do not own Hannah Montana or Chili's of Care Bears. Heh...I know that sounds really out of place here but it will all make sense.

Author Note: Beware the fluff! No angst in this one. I needed a break from the heavy stuff. Just full out fluff, romance, and the occasional smut here. And, as a side note, thanks to LAR for pointing out my flaw with Adam's eyes. I immediately went to the movie to see and, sure enough, it seems his eyes are blueish gray. Oops on my part.

Thanks for the reviews and hope you all enjoy!

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If Adam had to see that annoying cheery smile on Lawrence's face for much longer he swore that he was going to punch him. He'd been prancing, yes prancing, around the apartment for days in anticipation of the weekend to come. The smile might not be so bad if it weren't accompanied by a consistent humming of that teenybopper George Harrison song that got on Adam's nerves and made him want to claw his eardrums out. It all came to a head on a Friday afternoon when Lawrence got home from work and presented Adam with his favorite kind of chocolate along with an invitation to join him for dinner and a movie that evening.

"What the hell is this?" Adam looked up at Lawrence with an expression of misery and horror as he looked at what appeared to be a love letter written on a card that was attached to his beloved chocolates. His stomach turned with the sappiness of it all.

"It's an invitation." That giddy smile was still on his face and Adam raised his eyebrows in exasperation. He sighed and put the chocolates on the table.

"An invitation? I'm right here and last I checked I'm not deaf so you can feel free to ask me in person." His sarcastic demeanor didn't falter Lawrence's smile in the least and Adam could see that he would have to play along. "An invitation to what?" He said it under his breath as he dared to open the envelope and found a simple note scribble on a card with two puppies and a heart on the front.

He tried to hold back his gag reflex and read the inside.

_Adam, will you go on a date with me?_

The utter confusion on his face was enough to make Lawrence elaborate.

"Remember last week when we were playing truth or dare?" When that still didn't dislodge any memories Lawrence explained further. "Well I asked you what your most awful first date had been and do you remember what you answered?"

Adam sighed and nodded slowly. "I said that I had never actually been on a real date. That I was a one night stand type of guy. So?" He leaned against the counter and picked at the chocolates. Just because it was a sappy gesture didn't mean they should go to waste.

"So…" Lawrence began and started towards the hall closet, where he straightened his tie in the mirror and smoothed his hair back before opening the door to pull their jackets out. "I propose that we have our first date tonight."

Adam nearly choked on the piece of chocolate that was currently in his mouth. His eyes grew wide in both amusement and question. Lawrence remained enthused and, as much as Adam hated to admit it, it was rubbing off on him a bit. He liked seeing Lawrence happy even if it was in an annoyingly sappy kind of way. After he recovered the chocolate and swallowed the correct way he replied.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here, but haven't we been dating for four months now?" A smile grew on Lawrence's face and Adam could tell that he wasn't getting out of this that easily.

"Dating, yes. But, as I recall, we never really had a formal first date." He pulled his jacket onto his shoulders and carried Adam's leather jacket over to him. "Just thought that it was about time you had one." He held the jacket out for Adam to put on. Adam felt his eyes involuntarily roll and a sudden suspicion fell over him. He narrowed his eyes and stared at his companion.

"Wait a minute, I remember seeing a show on TV about something like this. If you're just trying to get me drunk so that you can take advantage of me and play dirty sex games…" he paused and thought about what he had just said. "then I'm all in."

Lawrence laughed and held the jacket up higher for emphasis.

"No dirty sex, at least not until later." His blue eyes shined and Adam knew that he would eventually give in just to make the guy happy. He had to put up some kind of fight, though, if only to emphasis his status as the more emotionally masculine one of the pair. "Tonight will be all about good conversation, food, a movie, and we'll see where it goes from there." Adam felt himself being nearly forced into his jacket and shook his head in amazement. The things he did just to make Lawrence happy.

"OK, fine. We'll go on our date." He used air quotes for the last word. "Just no more humming, ok? I can't get that damn song out of my head."

Lawrence agreed to the compromise and they caught a cab outside which took them directly to one of Adam's favorite restaurants, Chili's.

"Chili's? Is this where people go on first dates?" Adam asked it nonchalantly as he was secretly grateful that Lawrence had picked this place as opposed to an expensive restaurant where he would feel very out of place.

"Voted best pick for first dates by teenagers ages fourteen to sixteen." Adam shot an amused glance at Lawrence. He loved when he joined in on his sarcasm. It was their own language.

"Excellent."

Lawrence requested a booth and the pin striped waiter guy led them straight to one in the very back. It was dark and ambient with the sounds of the newest pop hit playing in the background. Adam studied the menu and occasionally looked above it to see what Lawrence was doing. Once, when he did this, he found Lawrence's eyes staring right back at him and they made goofy faces at each other before going back to their menus.

"Hey Lawrence…." He said it in his whiney child-like tone that always meant he wanted something.

"Yes Adam…" Adam could hear the amusement behind the reply and smiled his 'pretty please' smile.

"Can I have desert too?" Adam chewed on his lip in anticipation. Lawrence put his menu down and smiled back at him.

"Yes, you can have desert too." Their eyes were fixed on each other and Adam felt the familiar fluttering that he always got in his stomach when Lawrence was around. Was this what first dates were like? Maybe he had been missing out.

Adam excitedly ordered his usual burger and fries with a side of chocolate cake for desert. They swallowed down their food as Adam found himself rambling on and on about the photographer he was interning under and how he actually thought that his pictures were pretty decent, maybe even sellable. It was only when the cake was delivered that Adam realized Lawrence had barely said a word throughout their meal and he forced himself to shut up. The other man just sat there with the same smug smile on his face as they split the cake between the two of them.

"You know you can interject at any time here, man. I could go on like this for weeks."

Lawrence finally laughed and Adam relaxed. He felt himself flush slightly at the realization that he'd lost complete control over his verbal filters and felt the fluttering feeling return. He couldn't possibly be nervous. He'd done things with this man that were illegal in some countries and yet a so-called 'date' triggered every nervous reaction he could muster. Why was it that only Lawrence could do that to him?

"Trust me, I know you can." He took another spoonful of cake and swallowed it down. "It's ok, Adam. You don't have to be nervous."

"Who said I was nervous?" He fidgeted with the spoon and moved the cake around the plate aimlessly. Of course he was nervous but he would never actually admit that to Lawrence. He would never live it down.

Still, he couldn't quite meet Lawrence's eyes without blushing.

After dinner was paid for, Lawrence suggested that they walk to the theater down the street. Adam found this a relieving suggestion as the movement would calm his nerves and the cool air would pale his flushing cheeks. As they walked towards the street corner Adam shot Lawrence occasional glances with a smile on his face that felt permanent. He chastised himself for being such a sap. He was not like those wide-eyed girls in those cheesy romantic comedies. He was not. He would just keep telling himself that until it was true.

"So, what should we see?" They stood in front of a sea of movie posters advertising any genre of movie they could ever want. Adam studied them in anticipation and wondered which one would give him some reprieve from the endless fluttering in his stomach. He immediately ruled out two romantic comedies because just looking at the posters made him gag slightly. The indie drama looked good but Lawrence had little attention for those unless they involved medicine of some sort. It was down to the horror slasher movie and the action adventure slash comedy.

He voted for action adventure slash comedy in the end. As much as he liked horror movies this one seemed as if it might involve amputated limbs and chains and neither was something that would allow them to sleep that night.

Adam's mind flashed back to the promise of dirty sex and he found himself imagining Lawrence stripped bare of that suit and tie and his toned stomach muscles and his…

"Adam…you coming?" He looked up to see Lawrence standing by the entrance with the same amused expression he always had when Adam did…well almost anything. He shook the images out of his head immediately as he felt the blood racing back to his cheeks. God, when did he become such a girl?

"Uh…yea. Uh…good poster. Great…photography." It was a poster of Hannah Montana. The photography was crap and Lawrence could see right through him. Good one, Adam, good one.

They sat down in the theater and Adam took his customary seat at the end of the aisle. Lawrence sat on his right side and they both leaned back in their chairs for comfort.

"So, why do you always sit at the end of aisle?" Adam turned to Lawrence to see him staring at him in curiosity. "Not that I mind, just wondering."

Adam ran his hand through his hair and took a breath. "Um…the whole sitting next to strangers thing kinda freaks me out I guess." He hated when people intruded on his personal space. It was a quirk he'd possessed long before the bathroom. When this didn't seem to satisfy Lawrence, Adam continued. "It's just a thing ok? You don't have to psychoanalyze me or anything…"

"What would make you think I'm doing that?" Lawrence's eyes continued to stare at him and he suddenly felt uncomfortable in his own skin. He shifted around in his chair and tried to concentrate on the still blank screen in front of him but the burning of those blue eyes was intense and finally he had to look back at his partner. With an exasperated sigh he spoke.

"What?" Lawrence continued to stare at him with humor and he appeared to be delighting in Adam's nervousness.

"Nothing." Lawrence replied but Adam could hear the almost laugh in his voice. His smile was barely containable now in his attempt to be intimidating.

"Fine. Then stop staring at me." Adam knew that Lawrence was messing with him and kept up the angry act as long as he could. The lights dimmed and the images began to play on the screen in front of them. It was only then that his smile emerged and he shot another sideways glance at Lawrence, who was now watching the screen too.

He didn't know it if was the dim lighting or the sounds of machine guns firing from the screen as the movie began, but he felt something warm and fuzzy come over him and his hand involuntarily made its way inside of Lawrence's bigger one. He momentarily wondered if he'd been possessed by a care bear or something equally cute and adorable. There was no going back now.

Lawrence had turned Adam into a first date kind of guy.

After the movie, they took a cab home. Lawrence never let go of his hand except for the brief moment when he had to pay the driver. He led him all the way upstairs and into the bedroom.

"Is it dirty sex time now?" Adam asked eagerly as Lawrence was already tugging at his t-shirt. Lawrence only managed a nod as their lips touched and they were soon buried in a passionate make out session.

"Hey Lawrence…" Adam briefly wondered why he talking and interrupting what he had been looking forward to all night. He couldn't help himself, though. Lawrence stopped and moved back only far enough so that just their foreheads where touching. They were both out of breath from the activity. "Thanks for tonight. Can we do it again, sometime?"

He held Adam's face between his palms and answered in a husky voice. "You're very welcome. And I'm free next weekend if you are."

Adam felt a foolish grin come over him as he thrust his mouth back towards Lawrence's.

Maybe first dates weren't so bad, after all. Especially if they all involved dirty sex at the end of the night.


	6. Chapter 6: First Weekend Away

Disclaimer: I do not own Saw or these two lovely guys.

Author Note: Hey chainshippers! It's been awhile. I recently started school again and am studying to be an EMT so that means a lot of work with little free time for me. I did manage to write this quick little one shot though. Mostly fluff but with hints of angst on Adam's part. Hope everyone likes it and please review!

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Adam had only been out of his home state once in his life. He had been twelve years old and his foster family, the ones who had taken him in after his mother's first stint in jail, had announced that they were planning a big trip to Disney World. The other kids in the house were excited. He even remembered how they all screamed and jumped around like crazed monkeys. He hadn't been as excited – mainly because he'd missed his mom and really didn't give a crap about Mickey Mouse.

He'd always been a cynical child -as those particular foster parents loved to point out.

Still, he'd gone with them. He went so far as to admit that the rides were fun and he enjoyed seeing his foster brother cry when he got sick on the pavement after riding one of the roller coasters. He had it coming after he'd tripped their foster sister and made her scrape her knee. Over all, it was all right for a first and only trip away from home. Better, still, was the day when his foster family gave him back to DCFS after a bunch of kids vandalized their house and Adam was, of course, to blame. He could have told the truth and said that he didn't know those kids who had done the damage, but knowing that it would get him out of that house and back with his mother, he was eager to take the fall.

Adam's second trip out of the state was his first real weekend away with Lawrence. For this trip, he was way more excited. He'd begun packing days early and had even purchased a brand new travel bag for his camera. His favorite shots were the ones he could take from the airplane window and he never missed the chance for a free aerial expedition. The plane ride was, possibly, the only part of his first vacation that he truly loved.

But something was wrong with Lawrence and Adam couldn't figure out what it was. He paced back and forth throughout the apartment the entire morning before they left for the airport. He packed and repacked his bags several times and whenever Adam tried to get him to relax he would just get up again. When the cab arrived to take them Lawrence still appeared distant and Adam found himself slightly worried that maybe this wasn't a trip at all and that Lawrence was just trying to get him out of the house so that he could dump him.

Foster family number two….they'd left him by the side door of the DCFS office after convincing him that they were going to the park instead. They later said it was because he'd fatally injured their cat. He still maintained that it was an accident and that stupid cat just happened to get in the way of his skateboard. Nobody believes foster kids, though.

When they reached the airport and checked in, Lawrence was still restless. They handed their bags over to the attendant and Adam kept a close eye on his companion as they were guided through security. Adam had, of course, set off the alarm so they had to do a full on inspection. He made a joke to Lawrence that the security guy was 'just a friend and he had nothing to worry about' , but he was still too distracted to respond with his usual amused grin.

Finally, when they reached their terminal and found two seats at the far end near the window, Adam had to ask.

"So, not to sound like a paranoid chick or anything, but if you're planning on breaking up with me or killing me and throwing me off the side of the grand canyon, I think I have a right to know now."

For the first time that day, he saw a real smile from Lawrence. The older man looked at him with sincerity, but there was still an apprehension in his light blue eyes.

"You have nothing to worry about, Adam." The spark in his eyes was brief and Adam smiled in return. Lawrence flashed him a coy smile and looked back down. "Besides, if I wanted to kill you I'd do it at home. Less work."

He was relieved to hear the sarcastic comment and nodded in response. "Good point. So, what's up then? Because I'm usually the restless one here and you can't even sit for more than three minutes without a pacing break." He shot a side-glance at his partner, who was currently twiddling his thumbs anxiously. Every few minutes he would glance out the big window at the plane that they would soon be boarding.

"Nothing. I just, uh, had too much coffee this morning." His voice was high in the way it usually was when he was lying. Adam raised his eyebrows in question. He looked away from his partner and down at his bags.

"Sure. You call me a bad liar but, just so you know, you're not much better at it." When only silence followed, he continued. "You know, I can help you with stuff too. I mean, your always helping me when I have nightmares and whatever but I can be helpful too. I can, be supportive or whatever." It was his turn to be restless now as he anxiously fiddled with the zipper on his bag. He could feel Lawrence's eyes on him and, for the first time that day, he wanted them to look his way.

Vulnerability was not Adam's strong suit.

"I hate flying." It was a simple statement said in a hoarse voice from the man sitting next to him. Adam looked up from his bag and stared at Lawrence, who was still looking at him. He was dead serious. He actually hated flying. Dr. Lawrence Gordon, the man who had been to four different countries, was afraid of flying. Adam felt dumbfounded and at the same time grateful to his partner for the honest confession. "I do. Airplanes scare me and no matter how much I try to figure out how they can possibly stay in the sky, I just don't get it." He gestured in an expression of surrender and leaned back into his seat.

"Really? But you've flown like a million times, man. You told me about all of those trips you and Alison took…"

"Yea, we did. I love traveling but the plane….after we're in the air for awhile I'll be fine." Lawrence looked away and went back to twiddling his fingers again. Adam watched him and saw something that he'd never quite noticed in Lawrence before, weakness. Adam always considered himself the weaker one in the relationship because, quite frankly, he was. Slowly, over the course of their time together, Lawrence had become his rock – the one solid structure he ever had in his life. Lawrence was the person he could lean on. Looking at his rock now, so obviously frightened over something that seemed trivial to Adam, made him want to gather all of his strength and be that person for Lawrence. Pursing his lips, Adam reached over and covered Lawrence's shaking hands in his own. Lawrence looked up at him and smiled. He almost looked grateful.

"I remember when I went on my first plane ride. I was really excited. Just the idea of flying was like freedom to me. But my foster sister, she was only five; she didn't like it so much. I remember her covering her ears and crying and how she refused to look out the window no matter how cool I told her it was. She just curled up in this ball in her seat and cried. Then my foster mom, she was actually pretty cool for a foster mom, she picked her up out of the seat and held her and she told her something that kinda stuck with me." Adam paused and looked at Lawrence, who was intently listening to him now. "She told her that the plane was safe and that we were all safe, but that if something did go wrong we would all turn into butterflies and then we could flap our wings and fly safely home. And my sister, she loved butterflies, so she stopped crying right away." He paused to breathe and noticed the small smile on Lawrence's face. "Later, she asked me what color butterfly I would be and I told her that I was going to turn into an eagle instead because they could fly forever and never get tired. "

He felt Lawrence's hands stop shaking and squeeze his own hand back. Their eyes connected and Adam could see the relief already appearing in Lawrence's blue ones. He felt a strange satisfaction in the thought that maybe had had actually, in some small way, helped.

When they called for boarding Adam held onto Lawrence the entire time. Once they were fastened into their seats and the plane started to move, Lawrence appeared nervous again and he gripped the arm rests so tight that his knuckles turned white. Adam removed Lawrence's hands and placed them tightly in his own grasp. Lawrence turned to him and made one simple request.

"Will you tell me that story again?"

Adam was happy to oblige.


	7. Chapter 7: Valentines Day

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Saw related but I do take pleasure in making the characters do as I please.

Author Note: Happy Valentines Day! I couldn't let the day go by without letting these boys take advantage of each other….and I guess enjoy a little romance as well. Rated T for the sexy man action.

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When Lawrence woke up on Valentines day morning he was pleased to find that his partner was still sound asleep. Propping himself up on one elbow, he observed the thin chest rise and fall underneath the too big t-shirt. Upon closer inspection, Lawrence realized that it was one of his shirts and shook his head. Adam had a way of acquiring his things without asking. He didn't mind, of course, but always made a big deal of it anyway just because he liked their sparring. It was a new thing for him. When he and Alison fought it was always intense and very serious. Most things with them were. With Adam, he could have fun. With Adam, he could tease and use sarcasm and it wasn't lost.

Adam could beat him in a war of words any day but, unbeknownst to most, Lawrence was always appreciative of a good sarcastic battle.

Adam's breath faltered as he shifted into a more comfortable position. The lock of dark hair that he had neglected to have trimmed fell aimlessly into his eyes. This didn't seem to disturb his sleep, though, as he continued to breath evenly again. Lawrence felt those familiar emotions crawl into his stomach as he gave into the urge to push the lock of hair back to its intended place.

He'd stopped analyzing their relationship months ago. It was something that had transpired after spending plenty of time with a much younger and incredibly impulsive and irresponsible man who just happened to have a bigger heart than anyone he'd ever known. It was from Adam that he had learned to appreciate his life and their life together.

From Adam, not Jigsaw.

The light of day was just barely introducing itself through the open slot in the blinds when Lawrence noticed something else. Adam was dreaming. He followed the motion of his partner's eyes underneath the dark eyelashes and waited to see if this was something he should interrupt.

The nightmares were still there, just fewer and farther between, and in truth Lawrence didn't mind having to rock Adam back to sleep afterwards. Those were the moments when he felt like he could give something back to the one person who had challenged him to live better. Adam was the most determined and stubborn person Lawrence had ever met and it was those rare qualities that had convinced Lawrence that he could never give up on him or their, albeit unconventional, relationship.

The expression on Adam's face changed, instantly, from peaceful to terrified and Lawrence knew that he couldn't let it go on any longer. It was time to wake Adam up and tell him that he was safe and that Jigsaw would never touch him again. He would pull the younger man into his arms and first Adam would fight him, merely on instinct, but shortly afterwards he would calm and burrow deeper into the embrace. There would be tears and swear words as Adam was always angry at the villain who haunted his dreams and Lawrence would just listen and wait until Adam could accept his words of comfort and understand them as reality. Eventually, Adam would fall back to sleep with his fists still clutching Lawrence's shirt.

That was their usual routine, but today was their first Valentines Day together.

Lawrence thought that, maybe, he would try something else today.

Just as Adam began to kick around in the bed, Lawrence crawled towards him. Gently, he traced his fingers through the dark mop of hair and lowered himself until he was next to Adam. He laced his own arm around the young mans waist and placed gentle kisses first on his forehead, now sweaty from the intense dream, and slowly down his face until he reached his ear.

"Shhh, it's ok buddy. You're safe here with me."

The kicking stopped and the grayish blue eyes fluttered open with a look of panic that still lingered.

"Lawrence…" His voice was thick with sleep and remaining fear of the wooden doll from his nightmare.

"Shh…" It was all Lawrence had to say because after that their lips met in a kiss that started out sweet and comforting and, with only a brief pause in which Adam opened his eyes completely and caught the look of lust in the blue eyes opposite, quickly turned needy and passionate. Adam gripped Lawrence's face in his hands and Lawrence snaked his own hands underneath Adam's borrowed t-shirt that was now soaked in sweat. He felt the thin chest rise and fall with Adam's now erratic breathing and broke their kiss only momentarily to pull the garment over his partners head. At that point, Adam clung back onto him and pulled desperately at Lawrence's shirt for a reason completely different from the usual. When the shirt didn't come off as planned, Adam appeared frustrated which only amused Lawrence as he assisted the younger man and pulled it off himself. Their sleep pants were easy as Adam never wore his very tight and Lawrence preferred boxers – for which he suspected Adam was grateful in that moment. With boxers and pants on one side of the room and t-shirts, both Lawrence's, thrown to the other, Lawrence stopped to savor the moment.

They lay side by side on their king sized bed with skin touching at every angle. Only their mouths were apart as Lawrence briefly pulled away from Adam's lustful kisses to meet those blue gray eyes once again.

There were no tears in them this time and he didn't see a trace of fear anymore. He realized at that moment that Adam was not in any pain at all. The nightmare was already in the past. A small smile touched Lawrence's face as their foreheads touched.

"What?" There was a tone of amusement in Adam's voice even though he still appeared quite impatient with Lawrence's sudden halt to their activity. Reaching up, Lawrence traced a line down the side of Adam's face until he reached the spot on Adam's neck that made him melt. He automatically curled into Lawrence's touch.

"Nothing. Just wanted to say good morning."

Adam shot him another look of amusement with a smile that he failed to hold back.

"Someone shoot you in the ass with an arrow or what, man?"

Lawrence couldn't contain his own laughter and just at the moment Adam's hands found their way to the spot that cleared his mind of all but one thought. Before he knew it their lips where crashing together again and Adam's body was writhing underneath his as they both cried out in a mutual release.

Once he regained his senses, he turned his head towards the man lying next to him. Adam looked just as exhausted in his sprawled out position and his eyes were clearly fighting to stay open. Lawrence reached his arm towards his partner and pushed that same strand of dark hair out of his lighter eyes. They were both still gasping for air as their bodies recovered.

"Lawrence…" It was said in between puffs of air and Lawrence knew what to expect next. He smiled in response and continued to stare up at the familiar ceiling.

"Yea, Adam?"

"Forget what I said about Valentines Day. I had no idea what I was missing…"

Recalling Adam's earlier rant, Lawrence laughed. He traced his fingers through his lover's hair once more.

"So what do you think? Heart shaped pancakes or heart shaped waffles?"

Adam shifted onto his side and Lawrence turned his head towards him. Adam had that look in his eye that always signaled a very interesting day ahead.

"Let's live dangerously -heart shaped cookies with peppermint ice cream."

Lawrence shifted to his side as well and met Adam's challenging gaze. He'd gotten better at the stare downs. He'd gotten better at a lot of things since meeting Adam.

"Only if you don't eat the cookie dough until it's actually cooked. Remember what happened last time?"

Adam faltered slightly in his stare and made a sour face at the painful memory.

"You are getting better at this…I'm proud of you Larry."

Lawrence leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on his partner's lips.

"Thanks, buddy. But I do still want my shirt back."

This time it was Adam who kissed Lawrence, and this one wasn't as chaste. Lawrence felt himself slightly disoriented when Adam finally broke away. After all those months, Adam could still make him weak in the knees.

"Finders keepers…." Adam bounded up and eagerly pulled his pants and borrowed shirt back on. Giving Lawrence that same mischievous look that had caused him to fall for him in the first place, Adam started for the doorway. "I'll get the cookies, you get the ice cream."

Lawrence remained in the bed for a minute longer as he listened to Adam banging pans around in the kitchen. It occurred to him that in all of his years and all of his Valentines Day's he had never had one that had been this….perfect.

He hoped it would be a first of many to come.


End file.
